YANKEES, SOX FANS COMPLAINING ABOUT ROWDYISM? NOW THAT'S RICH

The long-standing suspicion that fans of the Evil Empires can dish it out, but can't take it, has gained some credibility today.

Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey (yes, you have consider the source here) told the Toronto Star's Richard Griffin that he has "received letters from Red Sox and Yankee fans complaining about the overzealous Toronto fans when they were here for games."

Here you thought Mike Mussina was the biggest whiner in pinstripes. Get a grip, Yankees and Red Sox fans. Yes, Jays crowds are bigger, louder and younger-looking this year, but most of the rowdies, so-called, at Jays games are university-aged kids from Forest Hill, Rosedale and Woodbridge who are home for the summer and are out for a larf, likely courtesy of a credit card graciously provided by the Bank of Mom and Dad.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, since at least they know who's the right team to support. There's just nothing to be worried about.

Boston fans have developed a thick shin, what with The Curse and all, but Yankees fans have long been a walking study in sociological vulnerabilities. What other team has fans who are so insecure they wear shirts reading SCOREBOARD and not-so-subtly point at them, even when the Evil Empire is losing? It's baseball. A good team is going to lose 40-45% of the time, so be mature about it.

As for the rest of Griffin's state-of-the-Jays sitdown with Godfrey, there's nothing there that's going to surprise fans who have been paying close attention, especially where next season's player payroll is concerned.

Related: Jays Fans.... Crazy? Nah (Aug. 10)
Money Tight in Ted Rogers' Neighbourhood (Aug. 2)

JOE BUCK FOLLOW-UP

My friend Dan Rowe, the good editor that he is, points out that the New York Daily News' Bob Raissman perhaps had the best take on Joe Buck's expanded role with Fox NFL Sunday. Raissman basically says Fox is intent on having a star announcer that it can brag about developing, much like CBS had with Brent Musburger in the 1980s. Too bad for Buck. The money and perks of that platform are great, but in the end, it probably leads to a guy getting burnt out and losing all interest in the sports he's covering.

You know the Musburger parallel well. In the 1980s, he was Big Event Brent, flying all over the place to call this game or that game, and eventually he lost interest, and the suits soured on him, and before anyone knew it he was Any Event Brent (hat tip to Norman Chad), reduced to calling World League of American Football games for ABC.

OTHER BUSINESS

• Recent stuff here: New York baseball sex scandals, the rundown on the Vikings opener, Neil's big debut, a requeim for 'idiot' baseball coaches, and why John Axford is the one baseball pitching prospect you should root for.
• Forgot terrorism, the Mideast, the environment. What's really important is the status of Chad Greenway's knee. (UPDATE, 8:35 p.m.: Greenway is out for the season.)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.